She Who Became the Sun by Shelley Parker-Chan | ARC REVIEW

I will never get tired of all the Asian Science Fiction and Fantasy books releasing this year.

ABOUT THE BOOK

Title: She Who Became the Sun

Author: Shellet Parker-Chan

Publisher: Tor Books

Publishng Date: July 20 201

Tags: Adult Historical Fantasy

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Summary:

Mulan meets The Song of Achilles in Shelley Parker-Chan's She Who Became the Sun, a bold, queer, and lyrical reimagining of the rise of the founding emperor of the Ming Dynasty from an amazing new voice in literary fantasy.

To possess the Mandate of Heaven, the female monk Zhu will do anything

“I refuse to be nothing…”

In a famine-stricken village on a dusty yellow plain, two children are given two fates. A boy, greatness. A girl, nothingness…

In 1345, China lies under harsh Mongol rule. For the starving peasants of the Central Plains, greatness is something found only in stories. When the Zhu family’s eighth-born son, Zhu Chongba, is given a fate of greatness, everyone is mystified as to how it will come to pass. The fate of nothingness received by the family’s clever and capable second daughter, on the other hand, is only as expected.

When a bandit attack orphans the two children, though, it is Zhu Chongba who succumbs to despair and dies. Desperate to escape her own fated death, the girl uses her brother's identity to enter a monastery as a young male novice. There, propelled by her burning desire to survive, Zhu learns she is capable of doing whatever it takes, no matter how callous, to stay hidden from her fate.

After her sanctuary is destroyed for supporting the rebellion against Mongol rule, Zhu takes the chance to claim another future altogether: her brother's abandoned greatness.

I was sent an ARC of She Who Became the Sun by the publisher -Tor/Macmillan- for review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

THE REVIEW

— overall thoughts: ⭑⭑⭑⭑.5 —

This is the queer epic fantasy we all needed.

Before reading, I didn’t know what exactly to expect with “Mulan meets The Song of Achilles” but it is just that, while being so painfully aware of it’s own setting. Accompanied by a unique perspective, charming yet complex cast, lyrical prose, and immersive writing style that hits all the right emotions... I AM OBSESSED.

⇢ content warnings// (Ableism, Amputation, Castration (non-consensual, pre-existing), Death, Dysphoria, Homophobia (internalized), Misgendering, Murder (child), Physical Abuse, Public Execution, Sex (Consensual), Starvation, Torture (non-graphic), Violence)

This did still feel like it was opening to a broader world and I honestly cannot wait to see where Shelley Parker Chan goes with the rest of the books. If you are looking for an in-depth and intricate magic system, I should say that you won't really be getting that for this first installment at least. There's still a magical/fantastical element to it but it's more on the backdrop and used to propel character development.

She Who Became the Sun is a character-driven story that explores the internal politics of a ruling body and economics of war that highlights the journey these characters experience and while it does deal with heavy and dark themes— this read like a historical c-drama (in the best way possible) packed with a truck load of thought provoking moments that was brilliantly tied together while being so unflinchingly queer

At it’s core, it’s about people trying to believe in their own fate in a society that sees them different ⚔️ The way discussions on gender roles and gender identity were weaved into a plot about war was just *chefs kiss* with nuanced conversations that will keep you reading

The dual POV was incredibly intriguing since you get to see the conflict progress from both sides progress. One of my favorite aspects was the fact that our two main characters weren't each other’s love interest. Shelley Parker Chan could have so easily made it a star-crossed lovers scenario and I’m so happy they didn’t. It benefitted the war narrative and made for way more interesting romances anyway.

some other details you can find:

-14th century china

-yearning generals

-forbidden romance

-platonic relationships

-complicated relationships

-family drama

-ghosts

↣ If you're looking for a fast-paced, emotional, and dark fantasy that revolves around war (just the way I like it) that is built on solid themes, high stakes, and will keep you turning the page while entrancing you the whole way through... here you go ☀️ I have too many words and I don't know if I got across how much I loved this book but I can’t wait to see how the rest of the story plays out 💛 ↢

This was an amazing historical fantasy debut and further deepens my love for this niche of a genre.

⇢ If this book sounds interesting, add it on Goodreads ⇠

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Shelley Parker-Chan (she/they) is an Asian-Australian former diplomat and international development adviser who spent nearly a decade working on human rights, gender equality and LGBT rights in Southeast Asia. Named after the Romantic poet, she was raised on a steady diet of Greek myths, Arthurian legend and Chinese tales of suffering and tragic romance. Her writing owes more than a little to all three. In 2017 she was awarded an Otherwise (Tiptree) Fellowship for a work of speculative narrative that expands our understanding of gender. Her debut historical fantasy, SHE WHO BECAME THE SUN (The Radiant Emperor #1), is forthcoming from Tor (North America) and Mantle (UK/Commonwealth) in July 2021.

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